Almost, but Never There

Rosa Martinez

HAVANA TIMES – “Vale la pena” (It’s worthwhile) is one of the few Cuban TV shows that I still watch regularly. My passion for psychologist Calvino’s lectures began a long time ago, when I was a university student and I saw myself reflected in most of the subjects that the Havana University professor used to discuss every week.

The broadcast I want to write to you about today was called “Almost there” and it talked about effort and results, that is to say, the sacrifice, determination and time you put into something and the results you get out of it, which aren’t always proportionate to your perseverance.

The professor’s conclusions were straight to the point and simply stated that even though efforts should be recognized, results are what are truly important, that you shouldn’t conform with ALMOST getting to where you want to be, ALMOST passing a test, ALMOST graduating, ALMOST getting a house, that you should reach the finishing line no matter what.

Even though I do completely agree with my friend Calvino, I was left thinking about my life and all the times I have made a great effort in many different ways and I thought that I had had good results: I was always among the top 3 most intelligent kids at primary school, the same at high school, I was top of my preuniversity course, I managed to get a place on the only university degree I was interested in and graduate with a high result, I have been working for 22 years, in lots of different jobs it’s true, but I still feel like I haven’t got very far.

In spite of everything I have achieved, I feel like one of the characters used in Calvino’s anecdotes, I feel like I’m ALMOST THERE, and that no matter how hard I have been and am trying, I’ll never get there.